Floor rack for refrigerator cars



Feb. 14, 1939. V. E. SISSON 2,147,130

FLOOR RACK FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS Original Filed-Oct. 7, 1957 Patented Feb. 14, 1939 2,147,130

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FLOOR RACK FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS Vinton E. Sisson, Winnetka,- Ill., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Standard Railway Equipment Manufacturing Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Original application October 7, 1937, Serial No. 167,771. Divided and this application August '17, 1938, Serial No. 225,275

Claims. (Cl. 105375) The invention relates to insulated railway removements oftthe car from splashing the melted Y frigerator cars used to transport perishable comice against the stringers and through the foramimodities, such as Vegetables, fruits, berries, nous floor. meats, eggs, frozen fish; etc., and to maintain Another object is to provide means between the such commodities while in transit at a predeterslats inoan upper plane and the slats in a lower T5 mined range of temperature, thus necessitating plane to cause them to cooperate as compression the use of a cooling means in the summer and a and tension members respectively of beams, thus heating means in the winter. It has been found not only providing an anti-splash foraminousthat perishable commodities which have not been floor, but also providing a very strong foraminous l0 allowed to get .too cold (freeze) or too hot (bake) floor to support the lading in transit and also the have a high market value because they have a more concentrated load of a loaded truck or longer storage life. W V v o wheeled platform carrying the lading into or out In a refrigerator car waterrice is associated of the car. 7 with certain elements of the car to establish a In the drawing: V convection circulation of air between the refrig- Figs. 1 and 2 show the relation of my improved erant chamber and the lading compartment to floor rack to the other elements of a refrigerator cool the lading invthe car (as hereinafter decar to guide the circulating air from the refrigscribed). A foraminous floor supports the laderant chamber to the lading compartment for ing in spaced relation to the insulated floor of cooling a lading as hereinafter described.

the car. Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6 show modifications of .one 20 It is desirable to allow at least some of the form of my invention hereinafter described, melted ice to remain on the insulated floor 0f the wherein means are associated with the stringers car below the foraminous fioor to produce furto cover the spaces between adjacent slats adther insulation between the outside of the car jaceht the stringers to prevent splashing of meltand the air flues below the foraminous floor and ed ie throu h the foraminous floor. 25 also to further l h r u in The In the form of my invention illustrated the melted ice (water) has a temperature of about refrigerator car isprovided with a bulkhead 2 32 Fahrenheit when no salt is used a d as ow separating the refrigerant chamber 3 from the as 14 Fahrenheit when 25% salt is mixed with lading compartment 4. The bulkhead 2 is prothe mp i h ra a ffe ively p rf rm vided with an aperture 5 adjacent the floor 6 -30 the two above mentioned functions. The service of the car and an aperture I adjacent the ceiling ove e s o the that the t pp and 8 of the car-with a solid wall 9 therebetween. starting, .as well as the swaying movement, cause Arefrigerant is supported by the ice supportthe melted ice to be thrown against the foramiing means l2 in the refrigerant chamber 3 in 35 nous floor supp bulkhead supports, threshold spaced relation to the floor 6 of the car and the 35 a d Other p j i s a d splash through the basket (or netting) [3 spaces the refrigerant openings in the foraminous floor and against the from the end wall l4 and bulkhead 2 to provide l d In package lading the containers would the flues l6-ll. ,The apertured fioor rack, or be soiled and in loose lad g Su da p e tforaminous floor, supports the lading so as to might C u o odity to rot. H i provide the space 20 which communicates with 40 An object of the invention is to position the the flues l6-l1. A refrigerant, such as ice in refrigerant e so that the meltedice (water) the refrigerant chamber, induces a convection Will drain upon the insulated floor below the circulation of air from the flues 16-41, through foraminous floor and to construct the foraminous th flue pace 20 and the apertures 2| in th floor so that the melted ice (water) will not floor k, nd, s th air i arm d by th 45 splash through e oraminous'floor. lading, it rises and passes through the bulkhead Another object is to providea foraminous floor upper opening I and thence through the fines comprising tw s s f paral slats in spaced iii-l1, and being cooled by the refrigerant, reapart planes which are positioned relative to peats the convection cycle.

each other and formed toprevent lateral move- Wh n a, stove or other heater is placed in the 50 me t of t from Splashing the melted ice refrigerant chamber a convection circulation of through the foraminous floor. A further object air is induced in the opposite direction because is to provide stringers for supporting the slats the air warmed by the heater rises and falls when and to provide means at the intersections of the cooled by the lading.

slats and stringers to prevent the longitudinal In the form of my invention shown in Figs. 3 55 to 6 inclusive the foraminous floor l8 comprises a plurality of spaced apart slats 25 supported by stringers 26 upon the insulated floor 6 of the car, which stringers are preferably positioned parallel to the direction of movement of the circulating air and the spaced apart slats 25 extend 'normally to the stringers 26. The refrigerating circulating air passes through the spaces 21 between the slats. Screws, bolts, nails or any other securing means may be used.

In the modification shown in Fig. 3 the channel shape member 30 is positionedbetween each stringer 26 and the slats 25 with the web 3| thereof resting upon the stringer 2B and the depending flanges 32 spaced from the stringer so that the water being splashed against the stringer will be caught by the depending flanges and not allowed to pass through the spaces 21 between the slats.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4 the members 36 are secured to each side of the stringer 25 which cover the spaces 21 between adjacent slats 25 to stop. the splashing water.

In the modification shown in Fig. short members 40 are secured to the string 26 in the spaces 27 between adjacent slats 25 which extend beyond both sides of the stringer to stop the splashing water. The upper surfaces 4| of these members are preferably sloped to provide a watershed.

In the modification shown in Fig. 6 the stringer 45 is preferably made of two metallic strips of metal secured together at 46 (preferably by welding) and formed to provide horizontally disposed portions 41 supporting the slats 25 and a substantially vertical portion 48 supporting the horizontal portions 41 upon the insulated floor 6 with the horizontal portions 41 having depending flanges 49 to stop splashing water. The arms of the vertical portion preferably diverge for stability. v

The accompanying drawing illustrates the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited'to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof, within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

This is a division of my co-pending application Serial No. 167,771, filed October 7, 1937.

V I claim:

1. In a refrigerator car having an insulated floor, a foraminous floor above the insulated floor, a space between said floors and ice associated with other elements of the car to induce an air current in said space upon melting thereof, said ice being positioned so that the melted ice will drain upon said insulated floor, said foraminous floor comprising a plurality of spaced apart slats and a stringer extending normally to and supporting said slats upon the insulated floor and an inverted channel-shaped member having the web thereof between the stringer and said slats and the depending flanges thereof spaced away from the stringer whereby said member prevents the melted ice on splashing against the stringer from resplashing through the spaces between the slats.

2. In a refrigerator car having an insulated floor, a foraminous floor above the insulated floor, a space between said floors and ice associated with other elements of the car to induce an air current in said space upon melting thereof, said ice being positioned so that the melted ice will drain upon said insulated floor, said foraminous floor comprising a plurality of spaced apart parallel slats and a stringer extending normally to said slats, said stringer comprising a horizontally disposed portion supporting the slats and a vertical portion supporting the horizontal portion upon the insulated floor, said horizontal portion having depending flanges spaced apart from the vertical portion.

3. In a refrigerator car having an insulated floor, a foraminous floor above the insulated floor, a space between said floors and ice associated with other elements of the car to induce an air current in said space upon melting thereof, said ice' being positioned so that the melted ice will drain upon said insulated floor, said foraminous floor comprising a plurality of spaced apart parallel slats, a stringer extending normally to and supportingsaid slats upon the insulated floor, and a member secured to each side of the stringer which cover the spaces be tween adjacent slats whereby said members prevent the melted ice on splashing against the stringer from resplashing through the spaces between the slats.

i. In a refrigerator car having an insulated floor, a foraminous floor above the insulated floor, a space between said floors and ice associated with other elements of the car to induce an air current in said space upon melting thereof, said ice being positioned so that the melted ice will drain upon said insulated floor, said foraminous floor comprising a plurality of spaced apart parallel slats, a stringer extending normally to and supporting said slats upon the insulated floor, and means associated with the stringer to cover the spaces between adjacent slats and adjacent said stringer whereby said means prevents the melted ice on splashing against said stringer fromresplashing through said spaces.

5. 'In a refrigerator car having an insulated floor, supports supporting a secondary floor above the insulated floor, a space between said floors, ice associated with the other elements of the car to induce an air current in said space upon melting thereof, said ice being positioned so that the melted ice will drain upon said insulated floor, said secondary floor provided with apertures for movement of said air current therethrough, and means associated with said supports to prevent the melted ice on splashing against said supports from resplashing through said apertures.

VINTON E. SISSON. 

